The Storyteller

Near the end of summer, I realized that I had quite the collection of creatures that once existed in the mind of a five-year-old. This storyteller arrived in my class with all sorts of tales of adventure and discovery. Because of genuine interest, I would take time to sit, leaning slightly forward, and listen. While telling his tales, his fingers would be cutting shapes from colored paper, gluing bits, making more cuts, and maybe coloring a few. At some point, he would arrive at what I would assume to be the almost-end of his tale for the day. Almost, because I noticed that my storyteller would not really provide an obvious ending but would pause for a sip from his water bottle, or stand abruptly and move near the AC and that would be that. Sometimes unsure if he was actually finished telling his story, I would let a minute settle before I brought out a picture book and proceed with our Reading Class.

Anyone working effectively (and respectfully) with young children know that it takes a lot of effort to marry school and parental expectations, educational standards, developmental theories, and personal philosophies and apply them accordingly to the different personalities and dispositions of children in our care. To achieve success, which in my book spells C-O-N-N-E-C-T-I-O-N, early childhood educators need to develop utmost patience, massive awareness of self, working knowledge of child psychology, superhuman reaction time, stellar creativity, and at times suspension of belief. Years in the field taught me that aside from those skills, confidence in our ability to allow experiences to unfold and to provide a balance of adult-driven and child-initiated activities makes the difference between an okay learning experience and a meaningful one.

Time and space are essential to everyone in early childhood settings - time for children to experience and discover things in their space, to make choices; space for educators to observe and document, time to listen and learn from children; to not blindly push agenda. Time and space support children’s need to BE who they are and provide room for them to BECOME so much more, all the while making them feel they BELONG. 

So back to my storyteller - it has been weeks since I last saw him. During our last session, he told me he wanted to bring his creations home so he can show them to his dad. I asked if I can take photos so I won’t miss them as much because the whole summer they were up on the wall by the window. With a big smile he said, “Sure!” and carefully selected three for me to keep. 

These are now on display in what would be my classroom for the coming school year.